NEW … REPS. MARK MEADOWS (R-N.C.)and JIM JORDAN (R-Ohio)-- two of President DONALD TRUMP’S closest allies in Congress -- will be voting against the new budget agreement, and say they will convene a meeting of the HOUSE FREEDOM CAUCUS later today to consider taking an official position against the two-year spending and debt-limit accord.
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-- FROM MEADOWS: “Jim Jordan and I have serious reservations about the budget agreement and will not be supporting it. The Freedom Caucus will meet this evening to discuss the budget and decide whether an official position is warranted.”

-- THE SPENDING AND DEBT LIMIT DEAL, which Speaker NANCY PELOSI negotiated with Treasury Secretary STEVEN MNUCHIN, could come up for a vote in the House as soon as Thursday. The Freedom Caucus’ opposition is not deadly for the bill, but it does illustrate that some of the Trump faithful are not in favor of the package. It will be interesting to see if TRUMP is influenced by Meadows and Jordan’s opposition.

WE ARE GETTING POSITIVE VIBES out of the White House about President Trump signing this budget deal. But we have asked multiple times if anyone could tell us on the record that the president plans to sign the bill if it passes Congress. We have not gotten an answer.

THE WHITE HOUSE points to a statement from Stephanie Grisham on Monday night, which said, “Both the House and the Senate should quickly move this deal to the President’s desk for signature.”

Good Tuesday afternoon. CORRECTION OF THE DAY … WAPO, A2: “A Nov. 28, 2018, Page One article about President Trump’s attacks on the Federal Reserve incorrectly reported the height of former Fed chair Janet L. Yellen. She is 5 feet tall, not 5-foot-3.”

WHAT’S ON THE PRESIDENT’S MIND -- @realDonaldTrump at 8:23 a.m.: “Guatemala, which has been forming Caravans and sending large numbers of people, some with criminal records, to the United States, has decided to break the deal they had with us on signing a necessary Safe Third Agreement. We were ready to go. Now we are looking at the ‘BAN,’....” … “....Tariffs, Remittance Fees, or all of the above. Guatemala has not been good. Big U.S. taxpayer dollars going to them was cut off by me 9 months ago.”

… at 8:51 a.m.: “In 2016 I almost won Minnesota. In 2020, because of America hating anti-Semite Rep. Omar, & the fact that Minnesota is having its best economic year ever, I will win the State! ‘We are going to be a nightmare to the President,’ she say. No, AOC Plus 3 are a Nightmare for America!”

-- FYI: Democrats won every statewide race in Minnesota in 2018, the closest by 3 percentage points. And that was after the ex-girlfriend of Keith Ellison, who is now the state’s attorney general, accused him of abusive behavior.NYT’S JONATHAN MARTIN and MAGGIE HABERMAN: “Despite Rhetorical Appeals, Trump Has Accomplished Little for Working Class”: “Since he became president, Mr. Trump has largely operated as a conventional Republican, signing taxes that benefit high-end earners and companies, rolling back regulations on corporations and appointing administration officials and judges with deep roots in the conservative movement. His approach has delighted much of the political right. …

“It is a question many Democrats still fret over: What would Mr. Trump’s prospects for re-election look like if he pressured Senator Mitch McConnell, the majority leader, into passing bipartisan measures to spend billions of dollars on infrastructure, lower the cost of prescription drugs and increase the minimum wage?” NYT

KNOWING STEPHANIE GRISHAM -- “The president’s silent spokeswoman,” by Nancy Cook: “For now, [press secretary Stephanie Grisham is] fine letting others do the talking, according to interviews with 10 current and former senior administration officials. … On paper, she’s brainstorming a potential new structure for the roughly 40-person press and communications shop that would leave much of the day-to-day management of staff and decision-making to deputies. She’s also considering bringing in additional staff. …

“Grisham sees the key constituencies for her job now as serving both the president and the press, according to friends and current and former administration officials — to allow Trump to serve as his own best messenger and dictate the strategy while giving reporters as much direct access to him as possible. … And as for those seemingly dead daily briefings? Several senior administration officials stressed the president — and he alone — decides if and when those will reappear, even occasionally.” POLITICO … Her birthday interview

THE LATEST ON SAUDI ARABIA -- “Rare strife breaks out over Saudi bills in Senate Foreign Relations committee,” by Marianne LeVine: “The conflict centers on two competing bills — one from [Chairman Jim] Risch and one from [Sen. Bob] Menendez — to hold Saudi Arabia accountable for the killing of [journalist Jamal] Khashoggi, who was murdered in 2018 at the Saudi consulate in Turkey. … The public tension between Risch and Menendez is unusual for the Foreign Relations Committee which prides itself on collegiality. …

“Members of the Committee acknowledged the recent discord between the two men but noted that their tension is also representative of broader disagreement between the White House and Senate Democrats over foreign policy, particularly when it comes to the vetting of the Trump administration’s nominees and its approach to Saudi Arabia. … As of now the Senate Foreign Relations Committee will consider the Risch and Menendez bills on Saudi Arabia separately Thursday.” POLITICO

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A HEADLINE JOHN BOLTON WILL LIKE -- “U.S. sanctions squeeze Iran middle class, upend housing sector,” by AP’s Karin Laub and Mohammad Nasiri in Tehran: “Perhaps most devastating for Iran’s large middle class has been the sharp spike in housing prices, more than double in a year. That has uprooted tenants and made home ownership unattainable for most. …

“The showdown between Washington and Tehran has upended the lives of Iranians as they try to survive on less. A bride borrowed a wedding dress because she couldn’t afford to buy or even rent one. More newlyweds move in with their families to save money. Visa requests are up at foreign embassies, with young Iranians eager to leave. Some wonder how far Washington is willing to push its ‘maximum pressure’ campaign.” AP

THE INVESTIGATIONS -- “Lindsey Graham vows to call Papadopoulos in review of Russia probe,” by Marianne LeVine: “Senate Judiciary Chairman Lindsey Graham reiterated his pledge Tuesday to look into the FBI’s opening of a counterintelligence investigation into President Donald Trump’s 2016 campaign — and said he planned to contact former Trump campaign aide George Papadopoulos.

“‘We will call Papadopoulos, we’ll find out what happened,’ the South Carolina Republican said at a hearing with FBI Director Christopher Wray. Graham added that the committee anxiously awaited a report from FBI Inspector General Michael Horowitz about the agency’s use of the Foreign Intelligence Surveillance Act to surveil then-Trump adviser Carter Page.” POLITICO

DRUG PRICING UPDATE -- “Senate Finance pushes ahead on plan to address high drug prices,” by Adam Cancryn and Sarah Owermohle: “The Senate Finance Committee on Tuesday unveiled a sweeping legislative package to address high prescription drug prices with an eye toward bringing it up for a full Senate vote by the fall.

“The draft comes after Chairman Chuck Grassley (R-Iowa) and ranking member Ron Wyden (D-Ore.) struck a deal on a series of policy changes and Republican committee members met Monday night to review details. The draft would overhaul parts of Medicare and Medicaid, and it includes a controversial provision pushed by Wyden that would crack down on drugmakers that raise prices higher than the rate of inflation.” POLITICO

CRIMINAL-JUSTICE REFORM RIPPLE -- “As new U.S. law frees inmates, prosecutors seek to lock some back up,” by Reuters’ Andy Sullivan in Buffalo, N.Y.: “Even as thousands of prison inmates have been released by judges under the new law, federal prosecutors have fought scores of petitions for reduced sentences and are threatening to put more than a dozen inmates already released back behind bars, Reuters found in an analysis of these cases.

“The reason: the Justice Department says the amount of drugs they handled was too large to qualify for a reduced sentence. … In a statement, the Justice Department said it is trying to ensure that prisoners seeking relief under the First Step Act aren’t treated more leniently than defendants now facing prosecution.” Reuters

NEW—POLITICO’s UNITED NATIONS PLAYBOOK: The 74th Session of the United Nations General Assembly will jam some of the world’s most influential leaders into four blocks in Gotham. POLITICO’s man-about-town Ryan Heath will take you inside UNGA—revealing juicy details from the lighter-side of the gathering and insights into the most pressing global issues facing decision-makers today. Sign up for U.N. Playbook.

2020 WATCH -- “$12,075 on paella and 32 other wacky things the candidates bought,” by Maggie Severns, Elena Schneider and James Arkin: “Joe Biden: $102,353 for the launch ad that never was … Ten different campaigns: $4.1 million in direct payments to Facebook for ads … Joe Biden: $12,075 on paella … Andrew Yang and Bernie Sanders: $16,497 and $13,634, respectively, on Airbnb … Beto O’Rourke: $328 on minor league baseball … Andrew Yang: $377 on a karaoke event space … John Delaney: $699 on cake” POLITICO

-- “Joe Biden Wants to Take America Back to a Time Before Trump,” by Michael Steinberger in NYT Magazine: “Biden and his advisers are convinced that the general election will mostly be a referendum on Trump and his fitness for office. ‘This is really about character and values as opposed to issues and ideology,’ says Mike Donilon, Biden’s chief strategist. He acknowledges that Hillary Clinton tried and failed to make Trump’s suitability the pivotal question of the 2016 election.

“The difference this time, he says, is that Trump is now president and has demonstrated his inadequacy. Biden made a similar point. ‘Even when he was running,’ Biden told me, ‘I don’t think anybody thought he would be as bad as he is.’”NYT Magazine

“And as Steyer vows to spend as much as $100 million of his own money in the primary to boost his long-shot candidacy, Democrats are growing frustrated that he’ll only further clog the crowded campaign — particularly if he can buy his way onto the debate stage this fall. ‘It’s very difficult for me to see the path for Tom Steyer to be a credible candidate,’ said Rep. Don Beyer (D-Va.), who has endorsed Pete Buttigieg. ‘So yes, I would rather that he spend his money taking back the Virginia House, the Virginia Senate and supporting people who can win.’” POLITICO

-- “Bernie Sanders thinks media is unfair, so he created his own,” by AP’s Juana Summers: “When Bernie Sanders wanted to preview a speech about his signature health care plan, ‘Medicare for All,’ he did not opt for a traditional interview. Instead, he made an appearance on ‘The 99,’ his Democratic presidential campaign’s in-house livestreamed show, a controlled, decidedly on-message pro-Sanders program that streams on a variety of services including Twitch, a platform primarily used by gamers. …

“The livestream represents just one spoke in a communications network that his campaign, frustrated by the coverage he gets in traditional media, has built to exclusively promote the candidate’s worldview. Since Sanders announced his second bid for the presidency in February, the campaign has started not just a twice-weekly livestreaming show, but also a sleekly produced podcast, ‘Hear the Bern,’ hosted by national press secretary Brihana Joy Gray.” AP

THE POLICY PRIMARY -- “Biden, Scrutinized for Crime Bill, Unveils Plan to Reduce Mass Incarceration,” by NYT’s Katie Glueck: “The proposal comes before [Joe] Biden is set to address two events this week focused on racial justice: a gathering of the N.A.A.C.P. in Detroit on Wednesday, and a conference of the National Urban League in Indianapolis on Thursday. …

“In proposals that would aim to reverse the legacies of the 1994 crime bill, Mr. Biden called for eliminating discrepancies in sentencing between powder and crack cocaine and for the elimination of mandatory minimum sentencing, repeating and building on points he has made on the campaign trail. He also called for an end to cash bail. And the plan supports eliminating the death penalty through legislation at the federal level and incentives at the state level, a position that is a sharp departure from the position Mr. Biden vocally embraced in the 1990s and throughout his Senate career.” NYT … The plan

-- Rep. Tim Ryan, who is apparently still in the presidential race, is offering donors a chance to win a “Healing America Through Mindful Leadership session with Tim and other yogis to ease our minds, provide clarity and practice yoga skills together.” Act Blue

DON’T MISS #TRIBFEST19— Join us for “Open Congress” at the Texas Tribune Festival on September 28th along Congress Avenue in downtown Austin where some of our top journalists will headline one of the nation’s most buzzworthy political gatherings. Learn more HERE.

DEEP DIVE -- “Education Department Had Hand in College Chain’s Collapse, Documents Show,” by NYT’s Erica Green and Stacy Cowley: “Dream Center Education Holdings, a subsidiary of a Los Angeles-based megachurch, had no experience in higher education when it petitioned the federal Education Department to let it take over a troubled chain of for-profit trade schools. …

“But barely a year later, the company tumbled into insolvency, dozens of its colleges closed abruptly and thousands of students were left with no degree after paying tens of thousands of dollars in tuition. … Company emails, documents and recordings show that part of why Dream Center kept going is that it thought the Education Department, which under [Secretary Betsy] DeVos has rolled back regulations on for-profit education, would try to keep it from failing.

“[Chairman Randall] Barton emailed other Dream Center executives that the department’s head of higher education policy — Diane Auer Jones, a former executive and lobbyist for for-profit colleges — had pulled strings to help the company’s schools in their effort to regain a seal of approval from an accreditor, despite their perilous positions. … Although the Trump administration did eventually cut off federal aid to the chain of colleges and precipitate their collapse, Democrats say the department failed to respond to warning signs.” NYT

OPIOID UPDATE: “Death Rates Rising for Young, Middle-Aged U.S. Adults,” by WSJ’s Betsy McKay:“The report by the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention, to be published Tuesday, adds new detail to a grim picture of worsening health trends across the nation, as the opioid epidemic and stalled progress against heart disease have dragged down life expectancy.

“But among younger adults age 25-44, death rates rose 21% for white and black adults and 13% for Hispanic adults between 2012 and 2017, according to the report.” WSJ

-- FLASHBACK, JUNE 12 … TRUMP: “[T]his is a meeting on opioid and the tremendous effect that’s taken place over the last little period of time.” White House transcript

MEDIAWATCH -- Alison Kodjak will be investigations editor for the AP’s Washington bureau. She currently is a health policy correspondent at NPR. AP

TRANSITION -- John Randall will be SVP for public affairs and crisis at Burson Cohn & Wolfe. He previously was VP of digital at CRAFT.

WELCOME TO THE WORLD -- Andrea Vullo, internal communications and public affairs manager at GE Lighting, and Dominic Vullo, owner of Artisan Landscape and Designs, recently welcomed Hunter Alan. Pic… Another pic

BONUS BIRTHDAY OF THE DAY: David Brock, author and founder of Media Matters for America and American Bridge 21st Century. An interesting book he’s reading: “‘The Conservative Sensibility,’ by George Will. Not a collection of columns, but an impressive, original work of history/philosophy. It’s interesting comparing my exit from conservatism to a trusted interlocutor who left the GOP in 2016 on principle. Bonus points: The words ‘Donald Trump’ don't appear in the index.” Playbook Plus Q&A

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Anna Palmer is a senior Washington correspondent for POLITICO and co-author of POLITICO’s Playbook, the most indispensable morning newsletter for the biggest influencers in politics. Anna covers the world of Congress and politics, and has successfully chronicled the business of Washington insiders for years. Her stories take readers behind the scenes for the biggest fights in Washington as well as the 2016 election.

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